464: Chapter 517 2022 SPRING SPECIAL - OPERATION SUNNY (6)

The lighting in the karaoke room was a deep purple, pouring down from the LED strips on the ceiling and bathing the entire room in an ambiguous hue.

The decorative portraits on the walls were black and white silhouettes, the sofa was covered with dark grey velvet cushions, and on the coffee table sat two glasses of juice—orange and grape—with fine beads of condensation clinging to the sides of the glasses.

In the corner stood two black microphone stands, along with that floor-to-ceiling glass door—which was now slowly descending, blocking the exit completely.

Hyoyeon and Sooyoung had been dragged over by their Manager for nearly an hour.

When they first arrived, they didn't know what was happening, only that there was an "urgent mission"; the Manager's voice on the phone had been as frantic as if he were broadcasting a typhoon warning.

Upon reaching the karaoke room and opening their phones to check the large group chat, they finally saw the screen filled with messages: "Red Velvet is chasing Sunny," "Sunny snatched Yeri's Lemm," "NCT127 had their car snatched at the gym."

The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously said to the server, "Bring us two drinks."

"No drinking during the livestream." The Manager's message popped up on the phone screen.

Both of them let out a simultaneous "Tch," the sound not loud, but clearly audible throughout the entire karaoke room.

She clicked her tongue and exchanged a look with Sooyoung beside her, her expression saying, "What's the point of life without a drink?"

Sooyoung shrugged, picked up the grape juice, and took a sip, her expression equally disgusted.

"Still, this karaoke room is decorated quite nicely." Hyoyeon examined the surrounding decor, her gaze sweeping from the soundproofing panels on the wall to the recessed speakers in the ceiling, and from the material of the coffee table to the stitching on the sofa. "It's much more upscale than the one we usually go to."

Sooyoung leaned back into the sofa and crossed her legs. "Of course. I heard this is owned by TG Investment; it's a karaoke room suitable for both amateur and professional singers. You even have to register an account to get in."

She paused. "When you register, you have to fill in your vocal part, vocal range, and preferred musical style. The system then recommends songs based on your profile. Rumor has it that it can even recognize half-air singing techniques."

Hyoyeon raised an eyebrow. "That high-tech? How on earth is Jiang Zhiyu's brain wired to come up with such fancy ideas even for a karaoke room?"

Sooyoung smiled. "Only Lee Tima can keep up with his brain. But Sunny has really been set up badly this time; I wonder if she'll go crazy when she finds out."

Hyoyeon set down her juice glass, her fingers lightly tracing the rim. "It was Lee Tima's doing anyway. That little girl has learned bad habits from President Jiang."

"They're both bad." Sooyoung picked up the grape juice and took another sip.

The two exchanged a glance and laughed simultaneously. The laughter echoed in the soundproof karaoke room, absorbed by the speakers, amplified by the microphones, and transmitted into the livestream.

On the split-screen, the interaction between Hyoyeon and Sooyoung was being captured in real-time. The fans in the comment section were already flooding the screen.

"The expression on Hyoyeon's face when she said 'They're both bad' was so sincere." "Sooyoung's grape juice looks so good, I want some too." "The renovation of this karaoke room is really high-end; does TG do karaoke business too?" "Hyoyeon and Sooyoung's chemistry is truly amazing; they know what the other is thinking just by looking at each other."

"What's the point of life without a drink?" "I've already screenshotted the expression on Hyoyeon's face when she saw the words 'Absolutely Do Not Press'." "She pressed it the first time and nothing happened; that little confused expression was so cute."

"She pressed it three times; she really wanted to know what would happen." "The way Sooyoung looks so serious while choosing songs, like she's on a secret mission." "Hyoyeon and Sooyoung singing AOA's songs, their pitch is still perfect; as expected of Girls Generation."

Hyoyeon stood up from the sofa and began to examine every corner of the room. Her gaze moved from the wallpaper on the wall to the speakers on the ceiling, from the speakers to the song selection console in the corner, and from the console to that huge glass door. The glass door was transparent and currently wide open, revealing the corridor outside.

Sooyoung watched her pacing around the room. "What are you looking at?"

"What do you think that brat Lee Tima wants by bringing us here?" Hyoyeon said while looking around, her fingers lightly tapping on the wall; it was solid, with no hidden doors behind it. She walked over to the glass door and pushed it; the door was movable and could be opened and closed freely.

Sooyoung thought about it but couldn't figure it out. She gave up on thinking, excitedly turned on the karaoke machine, and the screen lit up, with the song list scrolling across the page. "Whatever, let's just sing a song first." Her fingers swiped across the touchscreen, scrolling from the latest charts to classic oldies.

Hyoyeon was still examining the room. Her gaze shifted from the glass door and landed on an inconspicuous device in the corner. It was a red button, a size larger than a standard switch, protruding from the wall like an eye. The button was imprinted with a white skull, which stood out strikingly against the red background. Next to it was a line of small text, not large, but very clear—"Absolutely Do Not Press."

Hyoyeon stared at the words for two seconds. Do not press? That meant she absolutely had to press it. She reached out and pressed her index finger onto the button.

Nothing happened. She paused, then, refusing to believe it, pressed it a few more times. "Beep, beep, beep," the button emitted a faint electronic sound, but there was no change in the room. The glass door remained open, the lights stayed on, and the speakers continued to play the background music from the song selection console. She withdrew her hand, pouted, and walked back to the sofa.

"What are you doing over there?" Sooyoung had already selected a song from the console and was holding a microphone.

"Nothing, just a button; nothing happened when I pressed it." Hyoyeon picked up the other microphone and sat back on the sofa. "Probably just a decoration."

Sooyoung didn't press for details, and the intro played from the speakers—it was an old song they had sung countless times when they were younger. The two began to sing along with the melody; Hyoyeon's voice was rich and powerful, while Sooyoung's voice was clear and sweet, their harmony parts perfectly coordinated.

In the livestream, on the split-screen, the karaoke room footage and the footage from inside Sunny's car were displayed side-by-side. The comment section became lively again.

"My heart stopped when Hyoyeon pressed that button; I was afraid she'd blow up the whole building." "'Absolutely Do Not Press'—a button with that sentence written on it is meant to be pressed; this is a universal truth." "Hyoyeon pressed it three times and nothing happened; so disappointing." "What is that button for, anyway? Could it be a prank set up by Lee Tima?" "The song Sooyoung chose, talk about a blast from the past." "Their harmonies are still so good; as expected of Girls Generation."

The sky gradually darkened. On the streets of Seoul, the traffic flowed like a slowly crawling river. Sunny sat in the back seat of the van, holding the "Yeri Pig" in her arms, occasionally leaning forward to the front row to urge the Manager to drive faster. The Manager's hands gripped the steering wheel, his gaze fixed on the endless line of red taillights ahead.

"Sunny, this is a major traffic jam." His voice was calm. "If you want to go fast, you need a tank. Just crush your way through, and I'll be executed by firing squad afterward."

Sunny ground her teeth and sat back. She looked down at the Lemm in her arms; the "Yeri Pig's" eyes were curved, the emoticon was still there, and golden threads were flowing on the surface of its body. Her fingers lightly traced circles on its back, and she took a deep breath, then exhaled. Her phone vibrated, and she looked down—a message in the group chat; Yuri was asking where she was, but she didn't reply.

Another van was also stuck in the traffic. Yeri leaned against her seat, holding a tablet, the screen broadcasting the live feed from inside Sunny's car. Cameras were installed on the ceiling and back seat of the modified van, faithfully recording Sunny's every expression and word, and transmitting them synchronously to the livestream.

Yeri enlarged the image, and Sunny's face filled the entire screen. Her brows were furrowed, her lips pursed, and her fingers were tracing circles on Lemm's back, one after another. "Unnie looks very anxious." The voice was calm.

Wendy leaned over from the side. "Of course, being chased all day, who wouldn't be anxious." Seulgi leaned back in her seat, also holding a tablet. "Sunny Sunbae doesn't know we're watching her." Joy's voice drifted from the back seat. "That's the funniest part of this variety show."

Seulgi leaned over from the passenger seat. "Where's the next stop?"

"The karaoke room. Hyoyeon Unnie and Sooyoung Unnie are there." Joy looked down at the address on her phone. "By the time Sunny Unnie arrives, they should be ready over there too."

The sky turned from grey-blue to dark blue, streetlights lit up one by one, and orange light dragged trails of light across the car window glass. Sunny's van finally turned into the street where the karaoke room was located and stopped at the entrance.

Sunny climbed out of the car holding Lemm, the night breeze blowing her hair into a bit of a mess. She looked up at the sign of the building, took a deep breath, and walked inside quickly.

The elevator doors opened, and the lights in the corridor were a warm yellow, shining on the grey carpet. She found the karaoke room according to the room number Yuri had sent; the door was ajar, and music and singing could be heard from inside—it was Hyoyeon's voice, rich and powerful, singing the climax of some old song. Sunny pushed the door open and walked in.

Hyoyeon was standing in front of the coffee table, microphone in hand, singing with gusto. Sooyoung was sitting on the sofa, holding her grape juice, her foot tapping to the rhythm. When the two saw Sunny walk in, they both smiled. The smiles were bright and sincere, as if they had just met long-lost relatives.

The corners of Sunny's mouth curled up, and she walked over quickly while holding Lemm. "Hyo—" Before she could finish, Hyoyeon had already put down the microphone and reached out to wrap her arm around her shoulder. The force was neither too heavy nor too light, and Sunny's body was guided into a small turn. Sooyoung stood up from the sofa and reached out to take the "Yeri Pig" from her arms.

"What are you doing?" Sunny's voice was urgent and sharp.

Hyoyeon kept her arm around her shoulder, her expression full of that kind of "Unnie is protecting you" benevolence. "I heard from Yuri that you were being chased by Yeri and the others. Don't worry, you don't have to be afraid once you're here with us." Her tone was firm, her chin slightly raised.

Sooyoung hugged Lemm and rubbed against it, resting her chin on the top of Lemm's head. "That's right, Sunny, you can rest assured a million times over." Her tone was also that kind of "leave it to me" certainty.

Sunny looked at their "we are your backup" expressions, and her tense body relaxed slightly. She walked over to the sofa, casually stabbed a piece of watermelon from the fruit platter on the coffee table, and popped it into her mouth. Sweet, crisp, and very juicy. She crossed her legs, leaned back against the sofa, and switched herself from "escape mode" to "vacation mode."

"But speaking of which—did you know?" Hyoyeon's voice drifted from beside her.

Sunny chewed the watermelon and asked casually, "Know what?"

"Those kids from NCT were asking in the group chat just now why Sunny Sunbae was being chased by the RV Sunbaes." Hyoyeon's tone was nonchalant. "I said, because Sunny snatched Yeri's Lemm."

Sunny's chewing stopped, and her gaze shifted from the watermelon to Hyoyeon's face.

Hyoyeon continued. "The kids from NCT asked again, then where is Sunny Sunbae now? Sooyoung said, she should be coming to our place. So I sent them the address."

Sunny's expression changed. The change started at the corners of her mouth, the curve turning from an upward tilt to a downward droop; it started from her brows, the angle shifting from relaxed to furrowed; it started from her pupils, the light fading from bright to dim. She took a deep breath and swallowed the watermelon.

"Sh*t—that was Yeri asking!" Her voice was squeezed from the depths of her throat, each word sounding like she was grinding her teeth. "You guys—"

Choi Sooyoung raised her hands in a gesture of surrender. "I'm reporting this; the address was sent by Hyoyeon, it has nothing to do with me." Her movements were quick, and her expression was as innocent as a cat that had been wronged.

Hyoyeon laughed in anger. "Hey! You were the one who said it was okay to send it!" Her voice rose by half a tone. "You said things like, 'Let the kids come over to sing too; as seniors, we should assess the juniors' singing skills and provide help.'" She glanced sideways at Sooyoung. "Who doesn't know that you just want to see their abs. By the way, does your Jung Kyung-ho know that you like abs?"

Choi Sooyoung's face turned red in a flash. "Ya, shibal! Do you just listen to whatever I say? Then if I told you to take out Taeyeon and become the main vocalist of Girls Generation, why wouldn't you do that?!"

Kim Hyoyeon took a deep breath, stood up from the sofa, and shouted into the microphone. "I am Taeyeon now! Let me let you hear the Hyoyeon version of 'I'!"

Sunny was breaking down. She watched as Kim Hyoyeon and Choi Sooyoung argued back and forth, their voices getting louder and their speaking speed faster. Her temples were throbbing, and her fingers were clenched into fists on her knees. That "Aish" was squeezed out of her mouth, sharp and heavy.

"Aish—will you two stop arguing!" She stood up from the sofa, adjusted her collar, and took Lemm from Sooyoung's arms. "This place isn't safe either! We're retreating!"

"Thud—" A large pane of glass slowly descended from the ceiling. The sound was dull and heavy, like a compressed subwoofer. Sunny's footsteps stopped; she watched as the glass door closed in front of her, fitting perfectly into the door frame. She reached out and pushed it, but it didn't budge. She turned to look at Kim Hyoyeon and Choi Sooyoung, all three of them wearing the exact same expression—eyes wide open, mouths slightly agape.

"What's going on?" Sunny's voice was very soft.

An impassioned piece of background music burst from the karaoke room speakers, with powerful drum beats and a brisk rhythm. A voice, processed with a voice changer, came from the speakers, carrying a thick PK host style, with rising inflections and full of drama.

"Welcome everyone to—the Song King Championship live broadcast site!" The voice echoed in the soundproof room. "Only by reaching the passing score can you pass this level. Until then, no one is leaving the ring!" A drum roll came from the speakers. "Now—let's draw the first round song—"

Sunny's expression changed from "shocked" to "confused," and from "confused" to "furious." Kim Hyoyeon silently retracted the finger that had pressed the red button, hid it behind her back, and then started whistling as if nothing had happened. The whistling was very light, with an erratic tone, like a bee that couldn't find its way.

Sunny turned her head, her gaze landing on Kim Hyoyeon. Her expression was calm as water, her tone polite yet tinged with a hint of distance, every word sounding as if it had been dipped in ice water before being fished out.

"You little brat, what did you do?"

Kim Hyoyeon's gaze shifted from the ceiling light to the wallpaper, from the wallpaper to the watermelon plate on the coffee table, just not daring to look at Sunny. "Ah! It's here, it's here! Okay, Song King Championship, the first song is—AOA's 'Like a Cat'!" Her voice was loud and bright, pretending she hadn't heard Sunny's question.

Sunny's voice rose by half a tone. "Don't change the subject!"

Kim Hyoyeon opened her mouth and said in a low voice, "That... I just wanted to try..." Her voice grew smaller and smaller.

Sunny rushed to the wall, looking down at the small line of text—"Do not press under any circumstances." Her finger poked at the words "under any circumstances" several times, as if she wanted to gouge those words off the wall. "Didn't this shibal tell you not to press it?!" Her voice was sharp and urgent.

Kim Hyoyeon shrank her neck. "I just wanted to see what would happen if I pressed it..." Her voice was as small as a mosquito buzzing.

Choi Sooyoung touched her chin, her gaze moving back and forth between the glass door and the red button. Her expression changed from "confused" to "thinking," and from "thinking" to "I have an idea."

"How about you press it again? Maybe it will go back up." Her tone was that of someone offering a "serious suggestion."

Sunny took a deep breath, so deep that her chest swelled up. "Aish—will you both stop talking!"

In the live broadcast room, on the split-screen, the scene of Sunny, Hyoyeon, and Sooyoung standing in front of the glass door was being broadcast in real-time. The speed of the comment section was already so fast that it was almost impossible to see every complete sentence. "I knew something was going to happen when Hyoyeon pressed that red button." " 'Do not press under any circumstances'—a button with that sentence written on it is meant to be pressed; Hyoyeon understands the laws of the universe." "The sound effect of the glass door coming down was so oppressive." "The tone when Sunny said 'You little brat, what did you do?'—she was really angry." "I laughed to death at the part where Hyoyeon pretended to whistle; she looked so guilty." "When Sooyoung suggested 'press it again, maybe it will go up,' Sunny's expression looked like she wanted to kill someone." "Song King Championship, hahahaha, who on earth thought of this project? Come out and accept your award." "I listened to Sunny's drawn-out 'shibal' ten times, and laughed out loud every single time." "Hyoyeon's expression when she was caught red-handed pressing the button—guilty but righteous." "Sooyoung suggesting Hyoyeon press it again to make the door go up—the absurdity of this conversation is off the charts." "From 'You little brat, what did you do?' to 'I just wanted to try' to 'Aish, you guys stop talking,' Sunny's emotional changes were too real." "Who came up with this Song King Championship setting? It's hilarious." "You have to reach the passing score to pass; how is Sunny's singing level?" "Hyoyeon and Sooyoung singing an AOA song, their pitch is still there; as expected of Girls Generation." "I took a screenshot of Sunny's expression when the karaoke room's glass door came down." "Those few seconds when Hyoyeon whistled to pretend nothing happened—acting score zero, comedy score ten." "I felt so bad for Sunny when she was squatting in the corner saying 'Didn't this shibal tell you not to press it,' but I also really wanted to laugh."

The lights in the karaoke room were still warm yellow, shining on the three people's faces. Kim Hyoyeon's finger was still hidden behind her back, Choi Sooyoung's expression was still that calm "I'm just watching the fun," and Sunny's face was still red—not from shyness, but from anger. There were a few pieces of watermelon left on the coffee table, and the ice in the juice cups had mostly melted, with a fine layer of water droplets condensing on the glass walls. The glass door was tightly shut, and the corridor outside was empty.

The voice of that PK host came from the speakers again. "The first round song—'Like a Cat,' please prepare, the three contestants!" The drum beats started, and the intro came out through the speakers, echoing in the soundproof room.

Sunny took a deep breath and picked up the microphone. Kim Hyoyeon also picked up the microphone, as did Choi Sooyoung. The three people's gazes met in the air; Sunny's eyes wrote, "Wait until this is over, just you wait," Kim Hyoyeon's eyes wrote, "I know I was wrong but I'm not saying it," and Choi Sooyoung's eyes wrote, "I'm just here to watch the fun." The intro was almost over, Sunny raised the microphone, and her voice came out through the speakers.

In the live broadcast room, the speed of the comment section increased again. "Sunny is singing!" "Sounds good!" "As expected of Girls Generation's main vocal line!" "Wait a minute, it looks like Yeri and the others have arrived!" "Next stop, head-on confrontation!" On the split screen, another black nanny car stopped at the entrance of the karaoke room. Yeri climbed out of the car and looked up at the building, the night wind making her hair a bit messy. Wendy followed behind her, with Seulgi and Joy last. The night wind blew, early spring in Seoul, the night was still a bit chilly. Yeri adjusted her collar and walked toward the door. The singing in the karaoke room was still continuing, the glass door was still closed, and the little red light on the red button was still flashing.

— — The lights in the karaoke room corridor were cold white, shining on the gray carpet, stretching everyone's shadows very long. Yeri stood at the very front, her hands pressed against the glass door, her face against the cold glass, her nose tip pressed flat. Wendy stood behind her, still holding the phone that was currently live-streaming, the camera aimed at the scene inside the glass door. Seulgi and Joy stood at the very back, both of them tilting their heads to look inside through the gap between Yeri and Wendy.

Four pairs of eyes glared through the glass at the three people singing inside. Sunny was standing in front of the coffee table with a microphone, her mouth open, and the moment the sound came out of her throat—it choked. That high note was like something had grabbed it by the throat, and halfway up, it suddenly took a sharp turn, veering into a key that even she couldn't find the direction for. The sound coming from the speakers was sharp and astringent, and even the accompaniment wavered along with it.

A mechanical male voice sounded, still in that tone with a thick PK host style, but at this moment, it sounded like a verdict to Sunny. "Song evaluation—Failed. 0 points."

Sunny's mouth twitched. Her gaze swept one by one over the four faces pressed together outside the glass door. Yeri's eyes were wide like copper bells, Wendy's mouth was curved, Seulgi's expression was still that calm, and Joy tilted her head.

"Unnie—" Yeri's voice came in through the gap in the glass door, sinister, like cold air rising from underground.

Sunny's gaze shifted away from their faces, and she quickly scanned the room. On the left was a wall, on the right was also a wall, and behind was that glass door that had already descended. The gap in the door was probably only big enough to stick a hand out; it was impossible for a person to crawl out. Her fingers clenched at her sides and then relaxed.

Hyoyeon and Sooyoung's reactions were much faster than Sunny's. Hyoyeon had already stood up from the sofa and waved in the direction of the glass door. "Yeri-ah! Wendy-ah! Seulgi! Joy!" She called their names one by one, her face smiling as brightly as if she were filming a commercial. Sooyoung also put down her juice cup and made a V-sign at them. "You came just in time! Let's sing together in a bit!"

Sunny took a deep breath, not looking back, her gaze still fixed on the four faces outside the glass door. She looked down at Lemm in her arms; the "Yeri-pig"'s eyes were curved, that emoticon was still there, and golden threads were flowing on the surface of its body. The corners of her mouth slowly curved into an arc—not a smile, but a kind of determination that said, "I'm about to do something for which I might be hunted down." She hugged Lemm and walked toward the glass door, stopping in front of Yeri, with only a layer of glass between their faces. Yeri's nose tip was pressed against the glass, and Sunny's nose tip pressed against it too.

Then she buried her face into Lemm's jelly-like body. The sensation was cool and slippery, spreading bit by bit from her nose tip, lips, and chin. The corners of her mouth rubbed an arc onto the surface of Lemm's body, and her eyelashes swept an arc across the surface of Lemm's body. She raised her head, took a deep breath, and buried herself in again.

Yeri's eyes were wide like copper bells. Her pupils reflected the scene of Sunny burying her face in "her" Lemm's body. Wendy's mouth twitched, Seulgi's eyelid jumped, and Joy's mouth opened slightly.

Hyoyeon watched this scene, her hand holding the juice cup frozen in mid-air. "This is NTR in front of her face, right?" Her voice was very soft. Sooyoung nodded, her expression the earnest kind that said, "I think so too." "This is definitely NTR in front of her face." Hyoyeon added. Their gazes met in the air, and they both nodded at the same time.

Sunny lifted her head from Lemm's body, the arc still hanging on the corners of her mouth. "Yeri-ah—" Her voice drifted out through the gap in the glass door, light and airy. "Yeri-pig is mine!" After she finished speaking, she turned and walked toward the song selection console, reaching out to press the button for "Draw next round song."

The mechanical male voice emanated from the speakers, still carrying that thick, competitive MC-style tone.

"Next round song selection — — APINK — — MR. CHU!"

Hyoyeon cheered and jumped off the sofa.

Sooyoung also stood up, and the two of them stood on either side of Sunny, striking APINK's classic dance pose.

Fingers pointed at their cheeks, bodies slightly tilted, corners of their mouths curved.

Outside the glass door, Yeri watched the three of them—Sunny, Hyoyeon, and Sooyoung—strike that pose, which was so sweet it was almost annoying, and a vein on her temple throbbed.

Wendy reached out and gently patted her shoulder.

"Let's go, Tima sent a message."

Everyone's phones lit up at the same time.

Yeri looked down and saw a new message in the "2022 SPRING SPECIAL - OPERATION Sunny" group chat.

Tima's ID had a cartoon fox avatar.

The message was brief — — "Please have Red Velvet enter the room next door and await instructions."

Seulgi turned around first, Wendy followed, and Joy pulled Yeri, who was still staring inside the glass door, away.

The room next door was at the other end of the hallway; the door was open, and the lighting inside was the same as the previous one—warm yellow, shining on the dark leather sofa.

The four of them walked in, and just as they stood still, the glass door behind them slowly descended.

Wendy looked back at the closing glass door.

Seulgi was already sitting on the sofa, and Joy was standing by the karaoke machine, curiously looking at the options on the screen.

Yeri was still standing in the middle of the room with her arms crossed.

The big screen lit up.

It wasn't the karaoke machine's screen, but the huge LCD screen on the wall.

The screen displayed the scene from the room next door — — Sunny standing in front of the karaoke machine, with Hyoyeon and Sooyoung standing on either side of her.

Sunny also saw the image appearing on the screen, with the faces of Yeri, Wendy, Seulgi, and Joy lined up on the big screen.

The mechanical male voice rang out again.

This time, the voice carried a kind of enthusiasm typical of a salesperson, with the end of every word rising.

"Wow — — The King of Singers Tournament has added a team competition! Room 308 versus Room 307!"

The screen split into left and right halves; on the left were the three from Sunny's side, and on the right were the four from Red Velvet.

"Room 308's score is far in the lead; as a reward — — the glass door will rise!"

A clicking sound rang out, and the glass door in front of Sunny and the others slowly rose by about twenty centimeters.

Sunny looked down at the gap.

The crack in the door was just enough for her to stick one foot out, but she couldn't get her whole body out.

She gritted her teeth.

The mechanical male voice continued.

"Currently, Room 308 has 10 points.

Room 307 has 0 points.

When one side's score reaches 50 points, the glass door will open.

The loser will be delayed by five minutes before theirs opens."

A drum beat came from the speakers.

"The evaluation criteria have shifted from standard singing to — — two parts: dance and singing.

Members of both groups can assign tasks separately.

After facial verification is passed, members can freely choose the singer or dancer option.

The final score will be the sum of the system's score for the singer's performance completion and the system's score for the dancer's dance moves, with a maximum of ten points.

The average of the two will be the final result, with a maximum of five points per round and a minimum of one point.

Please click the confirm button after all members have finished discussing."

Sunny took a deep breath.

What is this?

She came here to take refuge, not to compete.

She turned to look at Hyoyeon and Sooyoung, who were also looking at her.

Sunny laughed in anger.

"What kind of situation is this!"

She walked to the glass door and pointed at the narrow hallway outside.

"Did you see anyone outside? No!

How did they get in?

They came in from next door!

They were waiting next door from the very beginning!

This was all planned!"

Her voice rose by half a tone.

"We've been set up!"

Hyoyeon shrank her neck.

Sooyoung's gaze drifted toward the ceiling.

"But — — "

Sunny looked down at the glass door that had risen twenty centimeters and gritted her teeth.

"It looks like we have to give it a shot!"

She turned and walked back to the karaoke machine, sliding her finger across the screen.

In the room next door, the four members of Red Velvet were also digesting these rules.

Wendy was the first to make a decision.

"I choose singer."

Her voice was calm, like she was saying, "The weather is nice today."

Joy walked back from the karaoke machine and sat down on the sofa.

"Can I just watch the show?"

Her expression was that kind of sincerity where she was "asking a serious question."

Wendy glanced at her.

"No."

Joy pouted.

Seulgi took a strawberry from the fruit plate and took a bite.

The juice exploded on the tip of her tongue, and she narrowed her eyes.

"I want to eat fruit."

Yeri stood in the center of the room with her arms crossed, her face still dark.

She looked at Sunny's gritting face on the screen.

"Unnies, can you please show some concern for me, who was just mocked!"

Her voice was urgent and sharp.

The mechanical male voice rang out again.

"Ah, I almost forgot.

During the discussion, you can enable the trash talk session~"

That "oh" was dragged out, carrying a slyness that said, "I know you guys will like this."

A button appeared at the bottom of the screen, flashing red, with the words "Enable Trash Talk Session" written on it.

Yeri reached out and pressed the button with her index finger.

In the room next door, Hyoyeon also reached out and pressed it.

A line of text popped up on the screen — — "Trash talk session enabled, audio connection between both sides established."

Wendy touched her chin.

"So it's just a connected call, right."

Before she had even finished speaking, Yeri's voice had already come out of the speakers.

"Sunny Unnie — — give Yeri Pig back to me!"

The voice was crisp and bright, echoing in the soundproof room.

Sunny sneered.

"That depends on your skills, Yeri."

Her voice came from the speakers next door, as clear as if she were standing right opposite.

"Oh, and we are leading by ten points.

Catch up first before you talk!"

Her tone was firm.

Yeri gritted her teeth.

"Sunny Unnie — —!"

Wendy's voice cut in.

"We have decided.

How about you, Sunbaes?"

Her tone was calm, like she was confirming progress in a meeting.

Sooyoung's voice came from the speakers.

"We are ready too."

Yeri and Sunny stood in front of their respective karaoke machines at the same time.

A dialog box popped up on the screen — — "Confirm current lineup? Changes cannot be made after confirmation."

Both of them pressed the "Confirm" button simultaneously.

"Click — — "

The sound was crisp, like a camera shutter.

It didn't come from the speakers, but from some device above their heads.

Two photos appeared on the big screen, one on the left and one on the right, with the big letters "VS" in the middle.

Everyone in the room froze at that moment.

The angle of those two photos was shot from the chin upwards.

Sunny's nostrils took up most of the frame, and Hyoyeon and Sooyoung's faces behind her were captured as two blurry blobs of color.

Yeri's nostrils also took up most of the frame, while the expressions of Wendy, Seulgi, and Joy in the back were twisted into various strange shapes.

The image quality was so clear that you could see nose hairs, and the lighting was so bright that you could see the oil on the wings of their noses.

Sunny stared at the screen for several whole seconds.

"What is this?!"

Her voice rose by several octaves.

Yeri's reaction was more direct.

She covered her face, and the skin visible between her fingers was as red as a boiled shrimp.

"Delete it! Delete it quickly!"

Her voice was sharp and urgent.

Hyoyeon and Sooyoung were laughing so hard they were holding their stomachs; Hyoyeon was bent over, slapping her thigh, and Sooyoung was leaning on her, her shoulders shaking violently.

Wendy covered her mouth, and the laughter leaked out from between her fingers.

Joy had already laughed herself onto the sofa.

Seulgi laughed, the laughter spilling out of her mouth, while she still held the strawberry in her hand, having forgotten to eat it.

The mechanical male voice changed.

The voice was no longer a mechanical, synthesized electronic sound, but a clear, bright, slightly annoying male voice that made people want to hit someone.

Jiang Zhiyu's voice came from the speakers — — "The photos have been uploaded to the cloud leaderboard.

If you need to change the photos, please contact customer service for processing."

He paused.

"Note: Customer service is currently hiring."

The room went quiet for a moment.

Then, everyone screamed at the same time — — "Shit!"

Doesn't that just mean it can't be changed?!

Customer service currently hiring — — no one to answer the phone, no one to handle requests, no one's photo can be removed from the cloud leaderboard.

Those two nostril photos would hang on the cloud leaderboard for a very, very long time.

Sunny stared at the screen, looking at that photo taken from below, where the nostrils occupied two-thirds of the frame.

Her mouth twitched several times, and finally, she squeezed out one sentence.

"Jiang — — Zhi — — yu — — "

Yeri had already recovered from covering her face.

Her face was still red, but the corners of her mouth had already curled into an arc.

She looked at Sunny's furious face on the screen, and her own photo where she was covering her face with her eyes peeking through her fingers.

She took a deep breath and put her hand down.

"Unnie, you just said — — you wanted to see my skills.

Now, let's see who really has the skills."

Her voice was calm, and the arc of her mouth changed from "furious" to "full of fighting spirit."

Sunny looked at Yeri's face on the screen, which was finally no longer dark.

She took a deep breath and slid her finger across the karaoke machine.

"Bring it on."

In the live broadcast room, on the split-screen, the expressions of the three from Sunny's side and the four from Red Velvet were being captured in real-time.

The speed of the comment section was so fast that it was almost impossible to see every complete sentence.

"The nostril photo made me laugh until I threw up; as soon as Jiang Zhiyu's voice came out, I knew something was going to happen."

"Customer service currently hiring — — I can laugh at this for a year."

"The tone Sunny used when she said 'Jiang Zhiyu,' I could feel the murderous intent through the screen."

"I watched the few seconds of Yeri covering her face over and over again."

"The scene where Hyoyeon and Sooyoung laughed until they collapsed together is so lovely."

"Wendy covering her mouth while laughing looks so elegant, in stark contrast to Joy laughing until she fell over next to her."

"Seulgi was holding a strawberry and forgot to eat it; I took a screenshot of that."

"Who is the post-production editor for this variety show? Come out and accept your award."

"Isn't Jiang Zhiyu in China? This voice must have been recorded in advance."

The lighting in the karaoke room was still warm yellow.

The karaoke machine's screen was lit up, and the song list was scrolling on the page.

Sunny's fingers were sliding across the touchscreen, her expression as serious as if she were carrying out some important mission.

Yeri was standing in front of the karaoke machine in the room next door, also sliding across the screen.

Wendy stood next to her, looking down at the song list.

Hyoyeon had already picked up the microphone, Sooyoung was adjusting her sitting posture on the sofa, Seulgi finally finished that strawberry, and Joy sat up straight on the sofa.

Outside the window, the night in Seoul was getting deeper.

The light from the street lamps leaked in through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a thin, long strip of light on the floor.

Those strips of light were moving slowly, shifting from one side of the floor to the other.

The singing in the karaoke room hadn't started yet, those two nostril photos were still hanging on the big screen, there were already several more comments on the leaderboard page, and, after Jiang Zhiyu's voice disappeared, it had been quiet in the karaoke room for a long time.